Tuesday, November 29, 2011

newness

"...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Cor 5:17 ESV)

This truth refers not just to my individual story of conversion to Christ. Indeed, at age 20 I died to an old life and found new life in Jesus. But more, as united to Christ by faith and by the Spirit, I am part of the new creation that began at Jesus' resurrection, which will be consummated in fullness at his second advent.

It was the Firstborn and Lord of the new heavens and new earth who stepped out of the tomb that Sunday, and us with him. Chesterton writes,

On the third day the friends of Christ coming at daybreak to the place found the grave empty and the stone rolled away. In varying ways they realized the new wonder; but even they hardly realized that the world had died in the night. What they were looking at was the first day of a new creation, with a new heaven and a new earth; and in a semblance of the gardener God walked again in the garden, in the cool not of the evening but of the dawn. (From The Everlasting Man)

Sometimes, I feel old and worn out. I need to remind myself of these things: "The new has come," and it hasn't changed in its newness. The old creation "wears out like a garment" (Heb 1:11) But I can't wear out the newness of the new creation which is everlastingly new.